Father's House
by Acid Rain
Summary: Another part of the Fever Arc by Race Ulfson - Squall, Irvine and Selphie go to visit Laguna and meet ambassadors from far away. Yaoi. Cussin' and fightin'. Cutesy names may induce vomiting.
1. Default Chapter

Father's House. 

_Don't own em.  Squaresoft owns em.  Leave me alone._

Squall leaned on Selphie and Irvine a little as they went in to see the President, but let go and stood straight as if he'd never needed her help as they entered.  He put on his best 'nothing is unusual, nothing is wrong' face and strode in, using sheer willpower not to droop.

Laguna was nearly struck dumb when what he thought of as the child-warriors from the Garden strode in.  Even aside from the fact that even Squall was wearing light summery garb instead of his leathers, all of them were different from when he'd last seen them – Squall had been ill and he looked it, thin and fragile looking in the extreme – but ye gods, no one had prepared him for how… alien they looked.  He couldn't put his finger on what it was that looked so different – and when they stopped moving, they didn't' look so inhuman.  He gestured them forward a little and saw it this time – they moved with a slow and languid grace as if they were underwater.

He'd seen that before – the Ambassadors moved like that.  

So the aliens were not lying.  Whatever this virus was, it rewrote the kids DNA to make them more like whatever the hell those pointy-eared fanged weirdoes happened to be.

Fine.  I can deal with this.

He barely avoided blubbing 'my poor widdle boy, aaaaugh!' and instead flashed his big grin at the trio.  "Made it in one piece, I see.  How's the stomach, Kinneas?  I heard you were having some nausea still."

"M'okay, sir, thanks." Irvine blushed like a little schoolgirl asked about her menstrual cycle.  Hm. Kind of shy fella, I guess.  Laguna turned his charm onto Selphie, who giggled uncontrollably and rolled her eyes around like a google eyed pug before he even said anything. Laguna thought it was cute. 

Kiros politely refrained from puking by thinking of Laguna naked. 

"So… Odine" Laguna said it the way he said 'festering monkeyshit' "…has Rinoa?  Any results yet from his tests?"

"Not yet."  Squall said, spine rigid with distaste at having had to leave Rinoa with the twitchy, accent-using pervert.  He made fists to keep the claws from sliding out, he was so angry at the encounter.  Irvine's hand slid up Squall's back to his shoulder and Squall gathered his temper back in a neat little iceberg again.  He flickered a thankful glance at Irvine, whose sweet, easy smile gave him back his momentum.  "We only know that the disease is somehow negatively affected by healing magic, causing an immediate relapse.  We suspect Rinoa's powers are causing a feedback effect that is sending her into a relapse-casting-relapse loop.  Odine's power restrainer for sorceresses might be her only chance."

Selphie's body pressed a little closer to Squall's.  Laguna noticed that Squall seemed to not only tolerate but also actually encourage with small glances and posture shifts closeness from his friends that only a few months ago, he would have spurned with a casual caustic glance.

"Well, we have a few other surprises for you, as well, Commander."  Laguna said carefully.  "The Aliens who apparently are responsible for the contagion of which you have run afoul.  They've come to try to make restitution and redress the pain and suffering that's been caused as a result of their carelessness."

"Nice prose, Laguna."

"Thanks, Kiros, shush."  

"Aliens…?"  All of them gawked at Laguna and then Kiros.  Squall shook his head.  "Is this some kind of … joke or something?"

"No.  This is much too serious, waaaaay serious, for jokes right now.  They say you all will be contageious for up to six months.  I'd like you all to get rested up and then come and meet the ambassadors.  Its kind of interesting to meet nonhumans that look so much like us, and maybe you kids… er… you SeeDs will get some help from them adjusting to some of the things they were telling me about, like the enhanced senses and the temperature tolerances."  He looked at his son, and tried to will away the strong urge to cry – Squall was not quite his son anymore… now alien dna and according to the aliens, some behaviors and reflexes had been templated over their genes.  'no… he's still my son.  If he had run out and gotten tattoos and implants and shit, he'd still be my son.  I just wish he would …' … he sighed.

The SeeDs watched, blinking occasionally, as Laguna just sort of stopped talking (a miracle all by itself) and just stared sadly at them. Kiros finally cleared his throat.  "I think everyone's a little tired, if you will come this way, SeeDs, I'll escort you to your rooms."

Squall lay upon the couch in his suite, brain running in circles like an excited mog.  Or a Zellycat.  Funny how Zell had started that little bunch of cutesie-isms.  And they stuck, too – Even Squall thot they were funny and cute.  He cringed at himself in amused disgust.  Zellycat, Quiscat, Squallycat, Kinnecat, Selphiecat.  He'd almost smacked Zell for referring to Rinoa as 'Pusspuss'.  

_Zell: Since we are all becoming the cast of Cats, we need catnames.  I hearby name myself Zellycat!_

_Irvine: Zellycat?  Heheheheheee!_

_Selphie: oooo!  Dibs on Selphiecat!_

_Irvine: who else would claim that name, sugar, don't be silly!_

_Zell: we can call you Kinnecat, cuz Irvcat don't flow, y'know.  An' Quistycat…_

_Quistis: I prefer Quiscat, or Trepecat, if I must be called something like that._

_Squall: don't any of you have anything better to do than make up silly names for each other?_

_Zell: no sir, Squallycat!_

_Squall: …_

_All but Squall: gigglegigglegiggle_

Squall rolled his eyes, as he'd done then.  'Whatever.'  He'd said at the time, which had just made more giggles.  But it had done a lot of good – Irvine had lost that tight look around his worried eyes and all of them had made stupid cat jokes for the rest of the night and got some of their unspoken fears aired in humor.  Yes, they were cats.  Or something like cats.  And after the joking and silly names, everyone seemed to feel a lot better about being cat things.

Squall didn't' feel quite so alone when the others started talking about the weird urges and compulsions.  Irvine had started craving mint – and catmint in particular, which was the only thing that got rid of the languid sleepiness.  Zell had discovered that he didn't really need to mousse his hair up anymore – and if he got mad, it sprang up in bristly anger.  Which had actually made Squall snort on an aborted laugh, himself, just thinking about it now almost made him smile.

Selphie's cat problem was also food based – she craved stinky foods.  Cheese that made most people's heads close up, tuna, the cheaper the better, corned beef and cabbage, just about anything with a noisy smell got her attention and made her mouth water.  So she was brushing her teeth a lot … smelling a big stinky tunafish and provolone sandwich on Selphie's breath was enough to make Irvine run for the john gagging.

And Quis… Quistis had discovered she liked baths.  Not showers but long, hot baths and then sunning herself to dry instead of just toweling off.  She'd taken to sitting on one of the garden's balcony's and brushing her damp hair in the sun… and it was like an addiction, she had cut herself down to two a day and it still didn't feel like enough some days.  She wanted one after every time she had a meeting with anyone. Partially because … she didn't like the way humans smelled anymore.  

Squall cringed away from that thought, because he, too, was finding the monkey cage scent of the Garden a little hard to take.  He had had to fight himself to get into a crowded elevator the other day and he'd almost lost.  It wasn't even human body odor so much as the other effluvia – corn nuts, for instance, were the craze amongst the younger members of the garden, and while Squall had never liked them, now they made his stomach curl up in his abdomen and kick like a child having a tantrum.  Liniment that he had used so many times he still reached for it on the shelf though he'd had to throw it out, just like Zell, now hit his nose and made his eyes water.  It wasn't humans that smelled bad.  The rubber in their shoes, the vinyl in their jackets, the perfume, gods, the perfume made his ears itch, it smelled so bad.  It wasn't as bad as the first day he'd come out of the doctor's office – he'd doubled over and gagged when the open hall's air had rushed up his nose – but it hadn't gotten especially better since.  He smirked to himself since there was no one to see his breech of stoicism – he'd even had a couple of strong urges to just piss on things to give them a better smell. 

 His own contribution to weird behavior urges – he wanted everything to be HIS.  Zell was his.  Irvine was his.  Selphie and Quis and Rinoa, all his.  Mine mine mine.  They're mine.  The Garden is mine.  Mine!  He'd even wanted to pounce on Laguna and rub his face all over him and tell him 'You're mine, too!'  He shuddered.  That had not been an adult urge.  He didn't feel the feral possessiveness towards Laguna.  Just laying eyes on him, the same old 'Oh, no, it's the Idiot!' feeling had started… but his scent… 

He put a hand over his eyes and shivered.  'His scent.  My Scent.  He's mine.  No.  I'm his.'  That made the shivering worse.  There had never been that … connection before.  He had sort of resented this man coming and saying 'You are my son and I love you' to him out of nowhere, he'd never really **Felt** it before.  Now it was burned into his mind like a hot iron.  He _knew_ that that man was his blood kin.  And he was not that man's commander.  It had made him feel peculiar in the extreme – Laguna was older, taller, and just more… male.  And his blood kin.  He had felt all kinds of peculiar urges which he repressed then and was carefully taking out and examining now – an urge to touch him, an urge to get his approval, a powerful urge to just foist all these problems off on Laguna, and do what he was told and maybe just curl up in his lap and cry on him for awhile and beg him to make it all go away… 

Whoa.  

He sat up and rubbed his eyes.  'OOOOoooookay, enough introspection, Puberty boy.'  He laughed at himself using Seifer's  'pet' name for him and felt a faint twinge.  'Ah, Seifer… I bet you'd have a field day with all of this.'  He thought to himself, and rubbed his face with his hands.  I don't miss him.  I don't.  I called off the searches and gave him room to breathe if he wanted it.  I made them leave him alone, just like they got Edea pardoned.  I just want him to be left alone.  Trying to look for hints of where he is unofficially is just … trying to keep an eye out for trouble.  He's just trouble.  That's what the whole tiger dream thing was – a warning from my subconscious to tell me that I'm in deep shit – like I need Seifer-Tigers to tell me that.

"I don't miss him." He said, sternly.

The knock on the door almost made him jump off the couch and yank his gunblade into position for combat.  Nooo, I'm not jumpy or anything.

"Commander Leonhart? The Ambassadors are asking to meet you all…" a squeaky woman's voice.  Why did they have to hire little squeaky women to do this?  Squall found squeaky women to be even more annoying than the regular kind.  If there was such a thing as a 'regular' kind.

"Alright.  I'll be right out."  He got up and brushed away all of the monologue he'd been having.  It was foolish to even bother thinking things through – he had no idea what was going on and all he could do was press on and move forward and try not to get anyone left behind.

And… try not to let these … drives and urges force him to embarrass himself and everyone else around him. 

The room they were to meet in was a very airy, very simple room.  Deceptively so – it was very carefully arranged so Laguna seemed in a dominating position but not overpoweringly so, and everyone else was roughly equal – no chance anyone would be thinking they were in a favored position.  Except for being closer to Laguna, if that was desirable. Squall made sure he was at a central spot where he could not be surprised rather than rushing over to sit as close to Laguna as possible, which was his first urge – he didn't want to jostle Selphie for that position, anyway, as she claimed it proudly.  

Laguna was dressed simply – he looked more like … someone's dad…_(my dad)_ than president of the richest, most advanced country in the world.  He didn't shake anyone's hands and was tugged back from doing so by Kiros, reminding him that they still were not 100% certain it was not spread by casual contact.  He flashed his pretty grin at Selphie, tho, and made her twitter and preen.  Irvine pinched her on the butt and got a squeal and a smack and Squall gave them The Look™.  They settled down quickly and tried to grow halos.  Squall gave them another strong dose of The Look™ and they quieted and he was able to have a seat – he was so tired.  He did his best to look healthy and alert but it was just too soon after he'd gotten out of the fever.  And the crushing weight of fear that Rinoa would … not make it… 

He heard the door open and couldn't remember when he'd closed his eyes.  He opened them and sat up and got a sad little smile from Laguna, sympathy and love and pain all at once that almost floored him because he'd just …opened his eyes right into it.  He gathered his icy calm around himself and just nodded acknowledgment to Laguna as he rose to be polite to the aliens that as far as he knew were partially if not fully responsible for his turning into a freak.

The first thing he noted was how damned tall they all were.  He was sort of glad Zell was on another mission, he would have been feeling dwarfed.  He also probably would have said something about the woman's gown, which displayed her naked breasts like little cupcakes hugged by lace and silk.  Okay, not the gown, he would have probably yelled something like 'holy crow, boobies!' or something equally horrible.  A flicker of affectionate annoyance crossed his features for a moment even though he wasn't even here and hadn't done it.

Kiros was saying something… then Laguna… but Squall didn't hear it.  He saw the Man.  That's how he thought of him immediately.  The Man.  He went rigid and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.  The Man was staring straight at Irvine.  And the Man opened his mouth and inhaled, his nose wrinkling slightly.  _He can smell it!  He Knows! _Squall's jaw dropped.  

Selphie saw it, too, and clutched Irvine's hand, which was a good thing.  Irvine's eyes had gone wide and … empty.  And he'd taken a step towards the Man, not thinking, just moving.

Squall felt that silvery rage just settle over him like an old friend and he got between this Man and Irvine.  "_Mine_." Was all he could choke out, he was so angry at this presumptuous fuck.  He didn't notice the Woman warding off Kiros who sat down suddenly and as if he didn't mean to do that at all, or Laguna moving to one side.  He didn't hear anything anyone said until the Man spoke to him.  And not with his voice, but in his head.  

No words – there were no words.  Just the overwhelming feeling that this Man would make all of the bad things go away and take care of it all, that he didn't have to be in charge anymore, that he didn't have to be strong or tough or alone…all he had to do was let this Man take care of him.  All he had to do was just… let go and come to him and everything would be out of his hands.

Squall felt as if his bones were filling with cold lead.  He was tired, so very, very tired… and this Man, he knew what was going on, he could save Rinoa, he could make everything better…Shiva stirred warningly and with that, so did his cold iron backbone reassert itself.  This was more than the goddamned instincts, he was casting some kind of fecking _spell_ on Squall and Squall was not shaking it off as easily as he usually did.  He curled his lip up, exposing his teeth, his eyes burning like molten silver.  "Fuck you."

The Man laughed and stopped the subtle approach.  Irvine, still enthralled, was being wrestled down by Selphie, who was cursing like a chocobo wrangler.  Kiros was out cold – whatever the woman had done, it had conked him out like turning off a switch.  Laguna stumbled back and fell behind the desk, vanishing with a sort of 'oops!' expression.  _Typical. _ Squall would have been embarrassed but he didn't have time.  He started to pull his gunblade as the man advanced on him but his arm went nerveless as the Man twisted somehow at him with magic or psionics or … something… and in two more steps the Man was there, physically forcing the weapon out of his numb hand and yanking him so close he could smell him even in this well ventilated room.  

And all chance of fighting bled out of him.  The scent, it was always the damned scents that affected them so… and this was overwhelmingly dominant, it made his brain fuzzy and drained all his willpower out of a little hole in his boot.  And he was just… so… tired…He looked at the dark eyes of the Man and his own eyes were locked there suddenly – he couldn't look away.  

"On your belly, bitch."  The man's words translated to him even though he knew that's not what the man really said.  But the meaning was clear as if he'd had one of those calm little translating people standing by repeating what he'd said in English.

_What?!  _He thought, but he felt himself starting to slide down to his knees, and even with Shiva helping, he could not make himself do anything else.  He was falling into this Dominant's black eyes, and whatever came up out of it if this Man finished whatever spell he was doing would never be Squall Leonhart again – just… some_… no…no, no… don't let this happen, dammit!_

"Aha!" Laguna's voice was far, far away, Squall could barely register it…  "There you are, come to daddy!"

And a machinegun's chatter cut through the spell and the Man at the same time, painting the airy, beautiful room and all it's inhabitants with a spray of blood from the Ambassador.  Squall fell back on his ass, splat, shock and relief mixing as the contact with the Man was cut abruptly.

Laguna had the weapon on the Woman now, pointed right between her pearly, perfect tits.  "ah-ah-ah.  No getting all huffy, now, I was just protecting what's mine."

_Mine.  He's mine too.  My father.  Mine. _

"You wouldn't _dare_!" She snarled, taking another step forward.  He shot one single bullet, pinging it off one of her funky hair danglies.  She fell back, looking not fearful, but incredulous.

"Wanna bet?"  Laguna wiggled his eyebrows at her.  

"Gotcherback, President Loire." Irvine said steadily.  Whatever else went on, Irvine's professional face had clicked into place and he was on his feet and had that powerful rifle pointed at the woman's forehead.  Squall wondered how the hell Irvine could be walking and talking, he couldn't even get up.  He felt like someone had pumped about 3 gallons of tranquilizer into his system and he was just sitting there blinky and quiet.  Selphie looked pale and grim and her weapons were twitching in her hand.  She was moving around to check on Kiros, who seemed to be unconscious but unharmed.  

When Irvine took over covering the woman, Laguna moved to where Squall was sitting and mopped at the blood on his face.  "Are you okay, son?  He was doing some kind of spell – they got Kiros with some kind of sleep spell but that's not what he was doing to you.  I'm sorry it took so long to get the guy but they make me lock my machinegun away and it took me a little while to get the drawer open."  He looked at Squall's blank, bloodstreaked face and wondered if he was even aware of anything around him.  "Squall?"  He touched Squall's face gently and then snatched his hand back – the boy hated to be touched.

Squall surprised him with how incredibly fast he moved, snatching back Laguna's hand and pressing it briefly to his face.  He held it there for less than 10 seconds, but it was enough to make Laguna feel one of those tight little bubbles of hurt and longing for his son burst with that brief moment of acceptance.  "I'm okay.  I'm still affected but it's just some kind of… tranquilizer or something, I can't make myself get up."  He let go of Laguna as quickly as he grabbed him, but it was enough to make Laguna's whole month.  Laguna pulled him to his feet and hugged him tightly, and for once, Squall didn't' roll his eyes or look disgusted.  It was probably the tranquilizer but Laguna didn't give a shit.  Squall relaxed against him and clung, again briefly, before he went utterly limp, slipping into a darkness induced by the combination of magic, exhaustion and illness.

"Selphie, honey, can you get …" Laguna paused and hitched Squall up some, to get a better grip on him. "…um.. yeah, get security to get a Hazmat team up here.  I think I just screwed up again, isnt' one of the ways you guys are sure this is spread by blood….?  Oh and maybe cast a healing spell of some sort on Shithead MacButtfuzz there who tried to put his hands on Squall…" He grinned crookedly.  "Wow, when I screw something up, I really do it good, don't I?"

"Sir, you just have a way about you.  Think of it as Style." Irvine drawled, grinning.  "Welcome to the pride, Loirecat."

"What?"

"Nevermind.  You'll figure it out later."

Thanks to all who are so supportive of this weird AU fic with our weird cat/aliens.  This chapter grew a bit more than I expected and I'm working on the next one now, which I was going to just add on to this but I figure deserves it's own space as some things are cleared up and others are obscured…

And Race, yeah, I just stuck it up without beta because I wanted certain kitty lovers who shall not be named to get all happy and wiggle around so cute.  I can always edit it later.


	2. Father's House Chapter Two

Father's House chapter 2 

_I don't own em.  Squaresoft owns em.  They're just escaping from my imagination and playing around like the lewd things they are drawn as.  It's all Squaresoft's fault. Lightly yaoi-ish but no real dirt here._

Kiros woke up, unwillingly, with Ward trying to put another cold compress on him.  "What?  …Thirsty… what's going on, where did the aliens go…?"

"…" Ward put down the compress and poured him some cool water to drink. He sat down again and took Kiros in his arms, holding him up to drink from the offered glass.

And Kiros needed holding up – he was so weak he could barely move.  His back hurt – it always hurt …just a little… but now it was like he was on fire, not the dull ache that heralded old age peeking at him from where it waited a few years ahead. 

 Kiros sipped the water because he had not the strength to gulp it greedily as he wanted.  Just sipping exhausted him.  He looked around… the room was so bright, everything looked washed out.  Ward was signing at him but it was too washed out – he couldn't make out the finer nuances.  "I can't see very well, why is it so bright in here? What's going on?"

Ward leaned over and turned off the one single little bedside lamp and things looked less washed out.  He signed again.  "You've caught the Fever the SeeDs have.  It's spread by blood, I think, and magic accelerates and compounds it.  You caught it in a matter of hours and you're … already different looking."

Kiros had a feeling as if his innards were falling away, into some deep pit in the depths of his soul.  "How different?  I'm not growing feelers or duckbills or anything?"  He said, feeling his face a little frantically.  

Ward made the whispery noise that Kiros associated with him laughing.  He signed "No… I went away to get a shower and when I came back, your ears were pointed.  Your eyes look bigger.  I think there are some other changes, but I can't be sure.  Your teeth look different.  It must be magic, no one can change that fast without it."

Kiros felt a little miffed, his vanity had been showing and he knew it.  "I don't look freakish, do I?"

Another of Ward's hoarse whispery chuckles squeezed out of the man's throat, which just made Kiros mad.  He looked away irritably.  "Fine, be that way."

A big, heavy hand touched Kiros's chin and tipped his head back towards him.  Ward signed, "Don't look away from me… I can't talk to you if you look away."

"Well that's fine with me!  You're just laughing at me anyway."  He sniffled.  "Anyone would think I was Laguna… Laguna!  Is he all right?  Is Squall?  What happened?!"

Ward shrugged.  "They're talking to Laguna now."

In another room:

"Okay.  Now, let me get this straight." Laguna paced around.  "You came into the room, supposedly here to speak to our SeeDs who were infected with the Fever that YOU know something about, and you tried to summon Irvine to you."

"He's in Heat."  The alien man, Rahlk, said impatiently.  "He has no Man."

"And then, when Squall indicated that you should back off, you switched your attention to him and started some kind of charm spell, which didn't' work."

"I invoked my power as a Man and was telling him his proper place."

"Sure.  And then when that didn't work anyway, you did some kind of attack spell that stripped Commander Leonhart's willpower away and were going to try to FUCK HIM IN MY LIVING ROOM?!"

"… It is … ritually acceptable in…" It did sound a little lame, even to Rahlk.  

The Woman took over.  "He challenged Lord Rahlk's right to a d'thala, unwed, unclaimed, no family, and he himself is unwed, unclaimed, and has no family!  Everyone knows that he is an orphan from nowhere, that he is …"

"What does that have to do with guests in my home attacking other guests in my home?  Do you people even have rudimentary ideas about hospitality, or how much damage you did to my reputation?  You, guests in my home, violated every rule of hospitality I can think of.  When you attacked Squall Leonhart, it is as if I invited him here as a part of a trap.  Now, how are we going to fix this?  We aren't.  My reputation is damaged, period."

"Your reputation is irrelevant!  You have been a poor host; I have been treated as if I am some kind of Mortal being instead of …" Being bound to a hard chair had improved neither the Woman's diplomatic skills nor her temper.

"Lady… you want me to show you how mortal you are?"  He smiled at her, and the man with her stiffened as if he were the one being threatened.  "As far as I'm concerned, you're just another lying piece of shit who ruined that meeting.  You attacked Kiros for no reason at all as far as I could tell."

"I am a Woman!"

"Er… so?  I'm Laguna Loire, I'm a man, you're a Woman, whoopdeedoo.  You're a Woman in my house who's causing problems." 

Laguna paced faster. "You're an alien bitch who needs to jump on her broomstick and fly back wherever you came from, cuz I ain't buying your line of crap."  

He stopped and bent down slightly to talk directly to the Woman's face. "You're a woman so you can just attack anyone you want to?  Wait, I'm getting distracted from the real point here."  

Laguna straighten up and smiled at them sweetly.  "I want you off my planet.  If you want to continue relations with us, get someone here who - "

"How DARE You!!"  The Woman spit venomously.  "You do not dictate -"

Ka-click.  

She stared at the machine gun pointed once more between her pearly breasts.

"Actually, while I have the machinegun, you should probably not raise your voice to me."  Laguna smiled his most charming smile. "Or say really stupid shit like you've been spouting the last two hours or so about how you're special and we're poo."  He winked at her.  "I really don't like being talked to like I'm poo.  So I'll dictate, you listen, 'kay?"

Lord Rahlk cleared his throat.  "I will have to try to kill you if you shoot at her."

"Oh, that's okay, I'd planned to shoot you first."  Laguna smiled and pointed the machine gun at him instead.  "Those cuffs too tight for you?  I hope so." 

Laguna's pleasant expression never changed. "Now, as I was saying.  You two can be returned upright and under your own power or in several small plastic baggies, I don't care which.  If you wish to continue relations with this planet, your people are going to have to send people who are used to actually sucking up a little to the guys who think they rule here unless you want us savages with our lousy manners to just rip your heads off and shit down your necks like the primitives we are."  

He grinned. "Cuz I've seen your ship, I've seen you fight, and I think I can take ya."  Laguna winked at Rahlk, very puckishly.  "I've beaten tougher – trust me."  

Laguna's eyes hardened, though the smile stayed playful.  It was actually a little creepy to the man who'd been thinking what a total Ditz this pretty creature was only 3 hours ago.  Laguna looked in Rahlk's lap and then into his eyes.  "Much tougher.  Send someone who doesn't let his dick ruin diplomatic meetings.  You told me you were going to help us with this Fever, which you implied was your people's fault."

"No.  That's incorrect."  The Woman said stiffly.  He'd never gotten any kind of a name for her.  "We said we knew of the fever your people had and we believed it originated with our own race.  We were interested in tracking the Bloodline with which the SeeDs have been infected."

Laguna's fever bright eyes flickered from face to face, the alien visages surprisingly easy for him to read.  "You never meant to help us.  You don't care that we're infected, you just wanted to see who did it?"

"Who did it is immaterial.  We are interested in which bloodline Squall Leonhart carries.  It could be advantageous to us to …" she stopped suddenly.

"Bloodlines.  Like breeding dogs or chocobos.  You want to see what breed he is.  Which means you're interested in breeding him.  Which explains some of what went on.  You're not here to help us at all.  You're on a roundup to catch some strays."  Laguna said, his smile never wavering, though Rahlk noticed that Laguna's eyes became more and more intense and his smile was more feral than it had been. 

 "Well, you tell your people that there's a new breed around.  And if you think we're domesticated little pets you can scoop up, you come on and try.  If this thing makes us obey dominance imperatives, you come here, and you fuckin' try us, you wimpy, treacherous bags of shit.  We'll bend you over like we did Galbadia, Adel, and Ultimecia.  Got it?  I'm used to this shit and I'll be waiting to show you the real law of the jungle whenever you're ready to learn.  Don't bother sending another envoy if you're not going to help us.  Your ships come within range of our sensors and we'll blow you out of the sky if you're not contacting us with very apologetic professional suck ups that know how to apply their lips directly to my proverbial ass.  Do we all read the same page here?"

The man cleared his throat. "There's a very good chance your Leonhart and his people are from a bloodline we thought lost to us.  We are in a position to make offers to get that bloodline back."

"Then you guys should have a lil' meeting about that and start putting on the chap stick so you can kiss my ass enough to make me think I should listen to what you have to say.  I am severely pissed.  And I don't want to seem like a bad host, but get the fuck out of my house."  Laguna gestured to the 2 guards who watched from the door, and they opened it up for him.  "I expect you to be gone before I think about it again or I'll have you both tossed into Odine's lab like he wants and let him vivisect you."  He smiled and bounced on out.

Rahlk cast a glance at the Woman.  "I told you before we came they did not respect the divinity of women here.  They just got over a war casting down three women from power.  The women here either have none or abuse it to the point where they are hated tyrants."

"Shut up.  Call the ship when we're out of their jamming equipment and lets get off of this miserably hot hell hole."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Several hours later:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Laguna came into where Ward was trying to get Kiros to settle down, with little effect.  Kiros was twitchy, bitchy and whiney.  He was hot.  He was cold.  He was thirsty.  He was nauseated. He was hungry.  He was bored.  He was worried.  

Ward was ready to strangle him.

"Hey, Ward, how's the sickee?"  Laguna grinned and leaned over to look at Kiros.  "I just got a report on … Kiros, where's that scar that you had on your chest?  Little pink line, remember?"

Kiros fussed a little with the covers and peered.  "I… don't know."

"Huh.  You've got the ears and teeth already, too?  It's kind of interesting, that SeeD doctor said that some of the scars on the kids vanished entirely, but the tattoo on that martial artist kid and the scar on Squall's face both stayed.  She has a theory that the magic might leave them scars that they find defining."  He looked at Kiros critically.  "Shit, you look younger than me again.  Is that fair?"

"Bah."  Kiros sulked.  "I AM younger than you!"

"But you didn't look it.  Er… I mean…"

Ward made shut up motions.

Kiros threw a glass at Laguna, who to everyone's surprise caught it before it smacked him in the forehead. The water in it splooshed all over him and the floor and ceiling.

Ward signed, "Good catch, Laguna."

Sputtering water off his lips, Laguna nodded. "Thanks.  Anyway, if the paperwork's right, the Fever, while growing new parts like fangs and points for your ears, also heals up scars and stuff, using some kind of 'body image' thing that I don't quite understand so things like piercings might stay, scars that have desirable … huh.  Wonder why Squall still has that one right in the middle of his face…?" 

He scratched his damp head as water dripped from his hair, drip drip.  "I guess I'll go find a towel.  Congrats on having a second chance at teenage, Kiros.  You look 17.  Eat something, you're too thin.  Maybe a cupcake or something, I'm hungry." Laguna wandered out again, talking to himself encouragingly about how cupcakes weren't really bad for you.  One of the guards steered the President away from the public areas – they were under quarantine, after all.

Kiros was befuddled, lost between flattered and horked off and just plain sick.  Ward studied him, his faded blue eyes noting the way Kiros's skin had tightened up, the few wrinkles he'd gained in his smooth dark face vanished, several scars were just gone… and … so were the few streaks of silver that had been working their way into Kiros's dark hair.  

That was impossible.  Or this disease was more than just a little magic.  He tugged a dark lock and looked at it.  

"What?"

He signed. "You really are younger.  You look like you did when we first met, almost.  Except you didn't have points on ears or teeth."  He sat next to him on the edge of the bed, his weight rolling Kiros towards him a little.  "Your hands don't have the parrying scars … but your calluses are still there.  How odd."

"I guess I'm the first real adult to catch the disease – the SeeDs are all under 21."  Kiros shivered and Ward leaned over and tucked the blankets around him again.  "I don't really look that much younger, do I?"

Ward nodded and grinned at him, folding his arms across his chest and making a baby rocking motion.

"Oh, you shit, I am not!  Give me a mirror!"

Ward obligingly brought him a hand mirror.  He didn't' see how Kiros could see in this light, but he sure couldn't see with any MORE light.  He watched Kiros stare into the mirror and touch his face – it wasn't a huge dramatic difference for anyone who didn't see that face every day.  But Ward knew – it must be a little bit of a shock to see yourself suddenly youthful, unscarred, the way one only saw one's self in dreams.  And of course, Kiros looked with scowling disapproval at the pointed ears and the sharp canines, trying to determine if they marred or enhanced his beauty.  Ward laughed.

Kiros's eyes darted up at him.  "Are you _laughing _at me?!"

Ward signed "NoooOoooOooo" while laughing some more.  Kiros's sulk intensified.  

Ward gave him a careful hug.  "You are still beautiful, Kiros.  Stop looking for flaws.  There are none.  The ears and teeth just make you look more exotic."

A half-disbelieving glance at Ward and back at the mirror was given before Kiros answered. "You really think so?  Hyne, I hate being so vain sometimes, but …"

"You are very beautiful.  And you have your youth back.  The little scars that pulled, the back ache you were starting to get when the weather was cold and damp… all of that will be gone, if what Laguna read in the reports is correct."

Kiros didn't want to say anything, but he suspected Ward's words were true.  That nagging backache he'd been getting for years had been horrible for the first hours he'd awakened with the fever and then… it just vanished.  Along with his scars.  He was more than happy about the backache part – he had not let anyone know how bad it had been getting.  He looked up at ward and blinked a few times.  He wasn't as blind as he had been 12 hours ago.  A fitful few hours of sleep seemed to clear up his vision greatly.  And Ward … Ward looked… well… old.  He had suffered a lot of injuries and stress over the years.  "Ward… what am I going to do…?  I look like a kid… I don't…"

Ward hugged him again, very gently, and kept signing one handed.  "You'll take care of Laguna, like you always have.  He has it too.  You guys will be young together.  I don't mind.  I was always the old man, you were always the baby."  

"I was not.  Laguna was always the one toddling around falling off of things and getting into trouble."

"You know what I mean."

Kiros snagged Ward's hand abruptly and pressed it to his cheek.  "I don't want to do this without you."

"…"  Ward sighed and closed his sun-faded blue eyes.  He didn't want poor Kiros to have to go on without him but just the idea that his friend had regained his youth made him happy.  Kiros was so vain… and he would not handle old age well.  Besides, Laguna needed Kiros.  He and Kiros had been Laguna's support after Rain died.  He hated to think of Laguna alone.

"Ward… aren't' you afraid you're going to catch it?"

He disentangled his hand from Kiros's.  "No, it's spread by biting, sexual intercourse, or blood contact, and if Odine is right, it is force incubated by magic.  That's why you caught it as fast as you did; you were under a spell when you came into contact with the blood.  And using a spell to wake you up just made it worse."

"If you caught it, you'd …" Kiros's eyes searched Ward's scarred face, dark eyes with a golden cast to them now, the pupils round in the soft light but Ward knew they were knife slitted in normal light.

"If I catch it, I catch it.  But I'm not worried about it.  I'll be fine.  I just want you to…" he had to pause as Kiros took his hand again and rubbed his face on it.  He smiled a little and wished for a brief moment he could speak out loud again.

crunch

Ward's eyes got very big and round and he made a strangled hissing yell that was about as loud as the sound of a cream puff hitting a carpeted floor.

Kiros licked the blood off Ward's hand and cast a Cura on him.  Ward felt dizzy for a moment, off center_.  … Oh… shit…_

"…!!!!"

"Now I'm not going to have to be a kid without you."

Ward blinked at the bite and then at Kiros.  "…!!"

"You said you weren't worried about it.  Besides… it removes scars.  It heals old wounds."  Kiros reached up and touched Ward's throat.  "I would dearly love to be able to hear your voice again.  I want you with me… it's not fair that I should get this and you should not… good or bad.  It separates us and I hate that."

Ward blinked down at Kiros and pulled him close in a gentle hug that was still hard enough to leave Kiros breathless, nodding.  He signed "Alright – but if you start smelling like that cowboy kid, I'm not going to be held responsible for what I do to you.  I can't even be in the same room with him. You brought this on yourself."

Kiros flashed his pretty white smile at Ward and snuggled up contentedly.  "Who said I'd mind?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Kiroscat and Wardcat added to the mix – how it sorts itself out will be determined later.  Kiros has been out for a very short time - like Zell, he went through the fever incredibly quickly.

This story is about to merge with Found – let's hope, anyway, lol!

  
  



	3. Father's House, Chapter Three

Father's House (part 3) 

By Acid Rain

Part of Race Ulfson's Fever Arc.

_I don't own them. Pity me.  Implied yaoi._

_Violence. Other yummy stuff.  Merry Christmas._

Laguna Loire:

I watched my son sleep, tangled up with Irvine.  I should probably be distressed over the fact that my son is sleeping with another boy, but I just couldn't work up the gumption to care at the time – he looked so happy with his lover curled around him.  Relaxed and sweet and painfully thin. Not quite so alien when he was not moving.

That whole 'alien' thing was moot anyway.  I was going to move like that soon enough.  Kiros had gone over… his beauty only intensified with the changes, the upswept, delicately pointed ears, the young dark skin sleek as highly polished mahogany, those deep, gloriously sparkling autumn honey eyes…he was so beautiful it tugged at my crotch the way it hadn't in years.  It wasn't even that he had grown less beautiful with age – on the contrary.  But he was… so… aware of himself now, every breeze that touched those ears made him shiver deliciously, every glance from a man made him blush, that sweet flush coming up almost invisible to anyone who didn't know him well.  It made everyone else aware of him 'waking up' to himself and it made us all have to adjust our pants.

The changes to Ward were slower in coming but it hit him hard – he was out and had been for over 18 hours since Kiros bit him.  The Fever was very bad for him – he had looked dead twice now.  But Kiros wouldn't let anyone touch him and he had started breathing again both times within ten minutes.  After the first time I gave orders to let Kiros take care of him – we had 2 men down in the infirmary, thankfully, neither showed signs of the Fever.  But Kiros meant business, and when he said 'don't touch him' I guess he wasn't kidding.

Ward's scars faded.  They're still there, yes, but they're just faint creases, lines, not the corded keloid tissue of before.  And he's … different… limbs longer - straighter… he looks younger; his flesh seems to be redistributing itself.  He looks decidedly slimmer, almost lanky.  He's actually gotten almost 3 inches taller, and that's just… well, ridiculous.  I think I'll get a howda and ride on him if he gets too much bigger.  And where is it fair that a sick guy should look so damned healthy?  I had gone away to check some paperwork and damn, when I went back there was Ward Jr. all snug in the bed I'd left Ward my old friend, looking more like a sweaty youth on a hot summer night than an old veteran sick with fever.  

I on the other hand, still looked like a sweaty Laguna Loire.  No real changes I could see.  Were my eyes brighter, or was that just fever?  Were my hands less lined, or was I just retaining water?  Yeah, guys do that too!  Shut up!  

My ears didn't seem any more pointed.  My teeth looked normal.  When was the change going to hit me?

I was interrupted from my whiney self by Squall suddenly sitting up out of a dead sleep, eyes snapping open and his head yanking itself towards a direction as if a giant unseen hand was twisting him… the direction of Odine's lab.

"Rinoa… I'm coming… don't… Don't give up…" He dragged himself out of bed, Irvine looking up all blinky and confused, looking slightly hurt the way children do when you wake them from a good dream.

It only took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on.  

The Sorceress Rinoa was calling her Knight.  

"Squall! You're too sick to go runnin' off to wherever…" Irvine started, rubbing his eyes and reaching for Squall.  "Come on, you're just getting over this fever…"

Squall absolutely sparked, like a wrench dropped on a battery contact.  "No."  His quiet was twice as loud as someone else's yelling – you had to strain to hear him but it rang on your nerves, he was so… determined.  "I have to go.  She's dying."

"…what?"  Irvine looked shocked, but all I felt was that crackle of sudden certainty … Odine had her.  I hated him.  He had my son's woman and something was very, very wrong, and he was doing it on purpose.

Squall looked at me, strange flickering of understanding in his eyes, Rain's eyes, and there was a weird shiver down my spine.  His voice was stronger now, more certain.  And just a little savage.  "You.  Me.  Irvine's to guard Kiros and Ward – if the aliens return, just shoot them before they're in voice range, Irvine.  Selphie comes with us.  She can cover our backs and she's best with the computers we'll have to get through."

"You think it's gonna be a fight?"

Squall smiled, a little fire backlighting those silver eyes.  "I'm hoping there will be."

Aw.  He really does take after me in little ways that count!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Blinding heat – how the hell could I forget how freaking hot it was out here at this stinking lab?  Getting inside, for all that it creeped me out, was a blessing, to get away from that horrible heat.

Both of us had fought our way in before.  This time we were just shown right in.  no fight?  But but but…. Awwwwwwwwwwww…  

"This just means we'll have to fight them all on the way out." Selphie muttered darkly.  She smiled a sunny smile at one robotic monster guard thing.  "Fucknoid." She said cheerily to it.  

It did not, of course, respond.  

Squall staggered against me when they got close to the inner lab, and looked up at me with eyes that were like haunted silver moons.  "She's going to die.  We have to get to her right now."

"Alright, keep control, Squall.  It'll be alright.  I'll make it alright."  I was babbling.  The stupid human guard that was with us was fumbling at the panel; he'd fucked the code up twice.  I shoved him out of the way. "Move, I'll do it."

"But you can't possibly know the code, you're not cleared for…"

BUDDABUDDABUDDABUDDA! Ppppzzzzzzzzzzzzt! The door opened.  I grinned and waved my machinegun. "Hundred and one uses."

Selphie kept the robot thingey off us while we entered the lab.  Squall was beelining for a tank in the center of the room, and I was hot on his heels.  "Squall. Squaaaaaaaaaaaaall.  Trap, this is a trap, slow down…"

I felt it before I saw it.  I turned and shot the net coming towards me right out of the air – and blasted several instruments of some sort that made the previously hidden Odine wail like a stepped on rat.  Squall was staring into the tank, horror and dismay written on his pale face. "What are you doing to her… what are you DOING you sick fuck!?" He started on a whisper and ended in a roar, going for Odine… And blocked by a big bastard who stepped out of the shadows to cover the dainty little science prick.  _FUCK! A lanian!!_  I skipped back like he was radioactive – I'd seen the effect they had had on my son and his boyfriend.

Squall almost bounced off the big bastard's chest and swung that gun blade out in an arc to cut the man in two.  The Lanian blocked with some kind of weird circular knife that curved back along his arm.  Selphie snarled and drew magic from the Lanian as several more came out of the shadows of the lab.

"No one move or I will terminate my experiment AND zee sorceress!"  Odine squealed.  That stopped Squall.  Selphie was boiling mad but Squall stopped her from advancing with a gesture.

"What are you doing to her, Odine?  Answer Commander Leonhart." I said carefully, moving a little so I could get a clear shot at him.  Even if we all got swamped, Odine was going to die, one way or another.

"She responds marvelously to stimuli … she's adjusted her ability to take acidity, and then to large doses of radiation.  She's already got claws and fangs – an attempt at aggression, I suspect.  But she's too weak to do anything with her sorcery, much less attack with those feeble natural weapons."  He giggled.  "Now I am trying to see if I can make her grow fur!  She's already got a nice fuzzy tail.  They tell me its possible to revert them to the point where they can walk on all fours if they are stressed long enough – I must see this for myself."

Squall covered his mouth and for a horrible moment, I thought he was going to cry or puke or both.  I turned to get ready to rumble, because I knew that Squall would be on it like a chocobo on a green and we'd be doing some real Odine whackin' when he figured out we were never going to get her away from the pest otherwise and we could always phoenix down her … But it was Selphie that moved first – she jumped forward and cracked Odine on the noggin with a really keen sound like dropping a bowling ball on a concrete floor!  He staggered but he obviously had something junctioned or a Wall up or something because he didn't' go down like the colorful beribboned bag of poo he so resembled.  

He balled up his fist and he hit her.  Ineffective – c'mon, this was a SeeD fer crissakes.  She took it and was starting to cast as he yelled at her.  "Foolish girl!  I'll get them to let me carve you open and take that baby – they won't need it when they have all of you to breed another!" While Odine raved, Selphie'd cast a protection spell of some sort on herself – smart girl.  She reacted to his nasty threat …not at all.  She already counted the prancing little pizzle as dead, would be my guess.

All of the Lanians had turned when he smacked Selphie, not as if they wanted to, but more like they were sleep walking.  The one who'd been between Odine and Squall stepped now between Selphie and Odine – but he was not looking at Selphie. I'd felt a strange little … tug… myself.  Like a little beeper had gone off or something that I'd been expecting without knowing it, my attention was on Odine.

"The Woman is _Pregnant_." One of the Lanians whispered.  "You cannot harm her."

"Pff.  You are zadly mistaken."  Odine snorted.  "And all of you are in my lab now – foolish of you, really.  If you are not helping in the experiment… you can help another way, I've no reason to let perfectly good lab animals go."  He smirked at the big alien.  "You all will back off or join the experiment.  I've decided to keep the pregnant one, just because you irk me and I would love to experiment on the child invitro.  It's not like its human, after all."

Squall made a noise like an angry cat – half growl, half moan, strangled sounding as he focused entirely on Odine.  "I'll just kill you and that will end the whole mess."  

"Yeah! Good plan, Squall!"  Selphie bounced in place and took a swipe at the Alien who was blocking Odine from her sight with his huge bod.  The Lanian not only didn't strike back, he half cringed, tho the blow had seemed to just be a 'ow' not an 'argh' kind of blow. And he didn't even try to hit her back.

I had been sneaking over to the console – lever, lever, there must be a lever.  Oooooo, a bright red shiny button… maybe that one?  No, no, Odine liked levers.  Ah! Covered panel.  Darn, need a key… One hundred and one uses might not be so good in here where I could blow something up we might need later. Like me.

My attention was yanked by Odine taking advantage of the alien's cringe to take a step to the side and shoot Selphie with an ugly little gun that looked like a black wasp had had sex with an Uzi. Selphie crashed to the ground like a ton of bricks and made both Squall and myself get ready to just forget about rescue and just rip the bowsucking festerfuck's head off and shove it in a dark, smelly place – but we didn't get time.   All of this took place in much less time than it's taking me to write this, after all.

Every one of the aliens made a growling noise that made me shudder and feel … almost as if I were being yanked out of my body, forced like a puppet to turn and take a step … I wrenched myself right back away, none of that shit, that was some Sorceress crap I'd learned to deal with – I saw Squall do the same thing out of the corner of my eye, shaking himself as if he were coming out of a sleepwalking session.

"What are you doing, fools?!  Get them!  That was our agreement, I would keep the sterile female, the sorceress, you would get the Bloodline you wanted …Ack! No!" Odine squealed.

One of them went for Odine and got shot by the waspgun.  The alien went down but the others swarmed Odine – it was horrifying – they just tore him to pieces as he shot them one by one, until they ripped that arm off too.  And I couldn't move to stop them – I wanted to be there, clawing and biting with them at the man who'd hurt a Pregnant Woman.

Squall finally focused enough to cast and hit one with a powerful Sleep spell. Ha! Take that, alien buttheads!  They all went down when he got a sleep status effect to hit one of them, which was freaky, but I didn't ask.  What I did do was walk up to where Odine was and get his key… and then put a bullet between his eyes.  He was still alive after all the damage they'd done to him.  Tough little git.  Not anymore.  I tossed the keys to Squall and he had that panel open and the tank was draining, releasing Rinoa from whatever those wires and tubes were doing to her… ugh… I don't like to think of that.  I had to resist the urge to phoenix down the nasty bow wearing fucker and rez him so I could kill him again or let Squall have a go at him.

Then the Lanians woke up as if a switch had been thrown.  All but the ones Odine shot and the one that Squall had gotten the actual status effect to stick to – whatever locked them together must have dissipated.  "Oh boy."

Squall had Rinoa, soggy, coughing and gasping, but alive, in his arms and was getting ready to do battle while carrying her.  That's my boy.  Stubborn little shit.  We were soooooooo fucked. Out numbered, out classed… and oh shit, one of the men was focusing on Squall and starting to do that… that thing!  

Before I could so much as raise my gun, a horrible noise like a thousand crickets sharpening razorblades against their noisemakers exploded into the room, making all of us wince and the Lanians there get even more pale than before.  Several alarms went off at once and the place's emergency lights cut on as the main power went out.

I saw Squall's eyes go wide and the Lanians all snarled, but it was a frightened snarl, not a threat. They were obviously surrenduring. I looked where Squall had focused, staring as if he were about to go into a seizure.  He was starting to slide to the floor with Rinoa – his strength had all been used up getting to her.  He had nothing left – as he always did, he used everything up to accomplish his goal.

"In trouble, always in trouble, Squirt."  He was speaking to my son, a big arrogant smirk crossing his beautiful scarred face.  … Familiar face… oh shit…

Fuck me with a moomba!  That was Seifer Almasy… and he was LANIAN!  


End file.
